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Delighting in Disappointments

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 4, 2016
While living in Germany in 2011, most of my ministry was done over the internet. At one point we lost our subscription and had to wait weeks to be reconnected. I tried another route, using an “internet stick” that connected through cell phone signals, and with great expectation went through the process of buying and setting it up, only to have it be so slow as to be useless. The following is what I wrote as I processed this disappointment by lifting my soul to God.
 
Thank you, Lord, for the disappointment with the internet stick yesterday—after spending 1.5 hours in the Vodafone shop, to come home and have it be so slow was a shock.
 
Here is a case of setting my heart on something, on a solution, and then having it fail. Thank you for this, Lord, another chance to praise you by faith, to look away from my solutions to yours, to rest in you in the midst of difficulties—and such minor, simple inconveniences, really.
 
One factor is that I fear missing out on something by not having connection to the internet. But that is fear, not faith. I can trust you to get me on when it is needed, to guide and lead me, Lord, to give me wisdom and direction, protection and help.
 
Thank you for another chance to give you glory and honor through trust rather than lapse into complaining and self-pity. And I do choose to praise, to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving for that which I do not like so that you may have more glory and honor, Lord.
 
Thank you again, Lord, for the opportunity to deny self, to reject the input of my feelings, to get up the shield of faith and quench those fiery darts of self-pity, discouragement, negative thinking and complaining.
 
You, Lord God, are the King of glory whom we can trust to bring about what is good and best and wise. So I praise you for your gracious kindness which you have stored up for us today. “…as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’ ” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
I praise you, Lord Jesus, my Great Shepherd, that you have purpose for this disappointment. At the very least it is taking my eyes off of the small, temporary and unimportant aspects of life and shifting them to the eternal and powerful truths you want me to live in.
 
I praise you that having no internet hook up is a part of our reality here. I thank you that you are directing me away from continually looking at things on line rather than spending my time in better things. Thank you for this discipline which will lead to greater freedom.
 
To know you is all I need; forgive me for trying to draw my happiness, my security, my sense of control from such temporary, unimportant, miniscule things in life. My purpose is to live for you, to be obedient to your Word and Spirit, to dwell in your Word rather than in my feelings and to praise you for your grace and goodness, Lord.
 
Today may I live for you with all my heart, being filled with your Spirit and doing what is right and honoring to you. Help me to praise you in all things, to reject complaining and negativeness and instead to rejoice in the great privilege of knowing you, Lord. Amen.
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Not Alone 3

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 2, 2016
 
In continuing our thoughts from yesterday, when we wake up in the morning and find ourselves there with God, we are not only in His hand, we are also in the stream of events that He is orchestrating around and in us. Each one is designed to carry us forward in the task and purpose He has for us. We are moved on whether we know it or not: “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” (Pro. 16:9).
 
We are given opportunities every day to do our own selfish thing or to join God in His great plan; we can complain and gripe, or cooperate through praise and thanksgiving; we can do our own petty things, or, standing in awe of Him, in obedience and self-denial, surrender to His higher and greater purposes.
 
To live in these truths allows us to see more of the wonders God has poured into our lives: meaning, purpose, protection, challenge, adventure, security, significance, honor, goodness and guidance, to name a few.
 
Each day is an opportunity to join our Heavenly Shepherd as He leads us forth into the pasture of the day, to know that we are moving forward in the perfect plan that He has prepared, filled with purpose and potential for providing Him glory, for defeating the enemy with praise, for seeing others swept into the Kingdom, for moving ahead with Him.
 
The negative feelings which will arise from our flesh–feelings of uselessness and purposelessness, of alienation and fear–are an affront to this reality. In Him, in the proven Truth of His Word, we can turn from these feelings and live in the light of His presence, His purpose, His plan that is for our good and His glory.
 
Praise be to you, Lord God, for your mighty, unswerving, unstoppable, wise and good plans, into which you have brought us. Praise you that we are in the great stream of your history, where you are moving things to a conclusion and carrying us with you.
 
Praise you that our trust can be in you, rather than our own feeble wisdom and inadequate strength, rather than in government or the weather or money or power. In faith we praise you now for what you are going to do today, this week, in the elections next week and in the rest of our lives.
 
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Not Alone 2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 1, 2016
One of the wonderful aspects of the truth we looked at yesterday—that God has a plan of good which He has laid out for history–is that God is absolutely faithful: He plans, and then unwaveringly, inexorably and powerfully keeps on course.
 
This is obvious in the dozens of prophecies given in the Old Testament which are carefully fulfilled in the New Testament, many of them thousands of years after being given. God promises and He brings it to pass, period.
The rebellion and evil of Satan, of men, of me cannot derail His purposes. He has the infinite ability to weave our evil actions into the overall outcome of good that He desires. As Joseph said to his brothers near the end of his life: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Gen 50:20)
 
This is also seen in Daniel’s life, where every attack on him resulted in more glory for God and more influence for Daniel. “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand” (Pro. 19:21).
 
This is especially encouraging to me as I watch Barbara spiral down into dementia. God has a plan here and I can trust Him.
 
God’s faithfulness assures the right overall outcome, while He allows sinful human beings to choose a certain amount of evil against His will, the greatest of which is the rejection of Jesus as Lord and Savior.
 
His plans are so certain that they can be expressed as finished before they come to pass: “…the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” Rev 13:8b. The certainty that Jesus would die for us was so solid, so set in stone that God was able to express it as being done before history even began.
 
You, the living God, the Triune Lord, are all we need, for you are the Creator and Ruler of all. To you be glory today as I join you in the flow of events, listening to your Spirit, living in your power according to your Word, being a being of praise. May you be exalted in my life today. Amen.
 
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Not Alone

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 31, 2016
Lord, I praise you that I did not wake up alone this morning, for you were there, waiting for me, ready with the elements of this day, carefully arranged, wisely laid out, lovingly prepared. Truly, “My times are in your hands…” (Ps. 31:15).
 
As human beings we live in the river of history where events propel us through the day, the week, the year and beyond. The vast majority of these events are outside of our control, swirling in and out of our lives without our desire or power: wars, floods, famines, storms, political changes, economic shifts, accidents, illness and deaths.
 
These come and go in a seemingly meaningless, random pattern, empowering some, snuffing out the lives of others, bringing and taking prosperity, uniting and separating families and strangers.
 
Even on a personal level I have only a certain amount of decision-making control, mostly in how to spend the time, money and energy given me.
 
In the limited scope of my life, this seems to be quite a bit of power, but outside events can easily disrupt this control: an accident, sickness, loss of income, a fire, a storm, a fight ending a relationship—any one of these can come to me easily without my wanting or being able to prevent it.
 
To think of how powerless I am is disturbing: human beings do not like weakness, randomness and insecurity. However, when we become a child of God, born again into His family, there is a great shift in this scene.
 
While the situation remains the same, one significant truth is added that alters everything drastically: all those events and things that are out of my control are fully and securely in the hands of our loving and powerful Heavenly Father.
 
He who breathed the stars into existence, who hung the earth on nothing, who set it in exactly the right orbit around the sun, who spun it at the needed speed on a perfectly tilted axis, who formed the mountains and valleys, who spoke the animals into life—He is the One who holds our history in His hands.
 
He is not only in control, He has a specific, detailed plan, one that will not fail: “…the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” And no one can frustrate Him in it: “The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples” (Psalm 33:11,10).
No matter how hard we may try, we cannot circumvent what God has prepared: “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD” (Pro. 21:30).
 
And what our Father has prepared for us is good: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jer. 29:11). He may lead us through many difficulties, as the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, but these are for our good, our maturity, our equipping, our bringing more glory to God.
 
So, Lord God, I willingly submit myself to your plan for today, whatever it may be, painful or pleasant, difficult or delightful, and commit myself to honoring you by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving for whatever will come.
 
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In Him I Can Trust

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 29, 2016
Slept til 7:45! Praise you, Lord, for this, although I’d have liked to get up earlier. But you know what is best, and I praise you for what you have allowed.
 
You are the God of glory, the Lord of Love, the King of kindness, the Ruler of righteousness and the Shepherd of strength. To you we belong, along with our time, energy, abilities, possessions and relationships. To you belongs trust, surrender, dependence, obedience and love. To you belongs worship, praise, honor, fear, awe and glory.
 
To you belongs wisdom, power, grace, goodness and holiness. And all of these you share with us whole-heartedly, abundantly, richly, graciously.
 
Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for your sweet shepherding of us through the valley of the shadow of death, through the disappointments, hurts and difficulties of life, through loss, failure, pain and suffering, through conviction, repentance, forgiveness and restoration. You are wise and good in knowing what we need.
 
I thank you for the “limbo” we are in now with Barbara’s illness and the disorientation she is suffering. I praise you, Father, that you have things planned out: how long we must wait, the help you will give and the circumstances we will go through.
 
I praise you, the Sovereign God, who allows us free choice in our sphere of responsibility; that you then weave together our choices and those of others around us to bring out in the end of time the great conclusion you desire. Praise be to you for the guidance you will give, the protection you will provide and the strength you will grant.
 
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Psalm 34:21,22

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 28, 2016

Praise be to you, Lord God, for how things play out here on earth within the rules you have laid down. As it says in Psalm 34:21 “Evil will slay the wicked;”
 
[we cannot play with evil and win. In the end it will devour those who indulge in it. The devil always destroys his own, of that we can be certain.]
 
In contrast, “the foes of the righteous will be condemned.”
 
[The righteous will be vindicated and their foes–those who oppose righteousness, Satan and his minions and those humans who reject good and love evil, who refuse to bow before Jesus as God, Savior and Lord–they will be judged, condemned and sent to the holding place of wickedness, locked up forever.
 
Praise you, Lord, for your just and right hatred of evil, for your not allowing it into heaven. You are purely good and only what is good will be allowed into the new heaven and earth, continuing for eternity.
 
Praise you that you found the way to eliminate evil from our nature, to free us from both the essence and penalty of sin, to transform us from enemies into emissaries of your Kingdom, from being condemned criminals to cherished children.]
 
Psalm 34:22 “The LORD redeems his servants;”
 
[In you, Lord Jesus, we, your beloved servants, have been bought from the kingdom of darkness, from dwelling in the land of the dead, from unseeing stumbling through life.
 
It is interesting to note that it says “redeems” as an ongoing, consistent action. You, Lord, have redeemed us for eternity, and are continually redeeming, saving us from the evil, trouble and fears which tumble unbidden into our lives. You continually redeem us in every day circumstances from the shackles of sin, from slavery to self and the schemes of Satan.You are the faithful One whom we can trust.
 
I praise you for your faithfulness in following through on your promises, Father, to provide a Savior and salvation for all. I praise you for holding open the gate of grace to every human being, continually offering eternal life to all who are willing to come, receive your forgiveness and bow before you.]
“no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.”
 
[You, Lord Jesus, are the true and mighty Rock of refuge, the Place of protection and pardon, the Fortress of forgiveness. Praise be to you for your lavish Love, your mighty Power, you great Grace and your persistent Goodness as you seek to bring all into your Kingdom, even though you know all will not come.
 
Your unending Love is so Great, so Mighty, so Eternal, so All-embracing, flowing on and on in spite of what we are. You are worthy of our love and adoration, our fear and obedience, our worship and exaltation.
 
Lord, today may you be glorified in my life because you are worthy. May you be lifted high in my being, exalted in my words, extolled in my thoughts, actions and motives. To you belongs honor; may it flow bountifully to you today. Amen.
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Psalm 34:19,20

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 27, 2016
Psalm 34:19 “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all….”
 
[Being righteous in you, LORD, does not protect us from trouble—I think of Job and his trials. And we may have much trouble—I think of Daniel and the multiple life-threatening crises he experienced. But as you were clearly with them, so you are with us in each challenge and will properly deliver us from each difficulty when the time comes.
 
You may deliver us at the moment, or in a while, or years later or at death; you know the best timing and we can trust you in it. I think of Abraham waiting for a son, of Joseph waiting to get out of prison, of Elisha’s flood of difficulties, of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Jesus. You were with each and delivered them at the right time. Praise you for this promise which we can trust, even as my wife is in the midst of a distressing illness with no end in sight.]
 
Psalm 34:20 ‘he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”
 
[Here is a clear reference to how you protected Jesus in His beatings, anguish and death. In spite of all the physical abuse he took, you kept his bones whole–every single one. You are the God of detail, of power, of total awareness.
 
So you also work in our lives. I think of the many times you have spared me in driving, times when I should have had an accident because of my own poor choices, but you sovereignly intervened and kept us safe.
 
You are God, you are King, you are wise and you are powerful. You are worthy of our trust. I surrender myself to you this day, willingly giving my life into your hand again.
 
Fill me with your Spirit, may He overflow onto to all whom I meet today. May you be honored and exalted in what I think, say, do and accomplish. May I praise you in and for all things. May your name be lifted up by my responses to whatever comes. I praise you for the privilege of exalting you in the midst of suffering. Amen.
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Psalm 34:18

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 26, 2016
Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
 
[You, Lord, know the heart of each person; you see when we are wounded and overwhelmed. And you are there, actively working in us.
 
We are by nature so stubborn and independent, rebellious and stiff-necked, so we refuse to come to you, thinking we have the answers. Surrender often comes only when we are crushed and broken by circumstances (often of our own making) and our inability to cope. It is then that we see our true state of total weakness, of dependence on you—and maybe see our sinfulness and rebellion.
 
This is what you did in bringing me to initial surrender, leading me into a corner where I was powerless to escape–and I praise you for it, for with that dark experience you ushered me into the Kingdom of Light.
Lord, do bring whatever breaking is needed so that we may surrender more deeply to you and thereby be a more useful instrument in your gracious, powerful hands. I thank you for what we are going through with Barbara’s illness right now and for how you will use it for good. You are trustable, you are good and you are wise, so we can rest in your love.]
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Psalm 34:17

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 25, 2016

Psalm 34:17 “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;

he delivers them from all their troubles.”

[Praise be to you, the Sovereign, Infinite and Powerful God who hears every prayer of every one of your children and answers them. Praise you that you act at the right time to deliver us from all our troubles–the timing may be very different than we’d like, but we can be confident that you will act just when we need it.

In sending Jesus to suffer, die and rise again, you have delivered us in the most fundamental of our troubles. You have delivered us from the kingdom of darkness, from the dominance of sin, from the danger of eternal death, from the devil’s deceit and distortions.

We stand now as your beloved children, free of shame, of condemnation, of hopelessness, of meaninglessness. We stand in your presence, in your light, in your love, in the new life you have given us. We stand equipped for the battle, able to be more than conquerors in whatever comes to us, as we stand firm in the armor you have provided.

You have supplied us with wisdom, patience, love and grace. You have made your Holy Spirit dwell within us. You have given us your wonderful Word. And we live in the certainty that you will triumph in all as you carry us with you to the end of history, giving us each a significant role to play in your glorious plan.

You have saved us from all the great troubles we were born into. And you will save us out of all the myriad of troubles that plague us in this warped world of woe, using each one to mature and mold us into the image of Christ—as we respond with praise and trust in all.]

Yes, you, Lord God, the faithful One, the delightful Deliverer, are bringing us out from all our troubles. To you be honor and glory today as we live in the light of your Grace, rejoice in the goodness of your Love and rest in the certainty of your Promises.

Keep our eyes on the Truth, Lord; help us to keep on the armor, to keep up the shield of faith, to be people of truth and trust because we know you, the God of love and life, of goodness and grace. May you be exalted in all that I do today.

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Psalm 34:15,16

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 23, 2016
Psalm 34:15 “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their cry;”
 
[Praise be to you, Lord, for your rich faithfulness, for your persistent love, for your deep commitment to your children. Praise you that you always watch over them, that you hear every prayer, every word, every thought. Praise you that you are totally aware of what is going on in our lives.
 
Your love is strong and deep and powerful. We can trust you to hear us whether we sense it or not, and to work out what is best.]
 
Psalm 34:16 “the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.”
 
[What a stark contrast: from total redemption to total rejection. In your great Love, Lord, you hate evil and will deal with those who choose to live in it.
 
And the greatest evil is to reject Jesus and His offer of forgiveness. Out of that rebellion and pride flow every other evil. You will righteously end the earthly lives of all such rebels and wipe out even the memory of them. Praise you for your rejection of evil so that it may not continue in heaven.]
Thank you, Lord, for your goodness which under girds us in difficulties, permeates our problems and transforms them into the next step up as we praise you for who you are and what you are doing in them–even though we cannot see any good at the moment.
 
I praise you for allowing the present problems in our lives with Barbara’s illness. I ask that out of your love and wisdom, your righteousness and grace that you give us a fresh “Job experience” of seeing your greatness and glory so that we may continually bow before you in humility and confess, “I have nothing to say; you are right Lord, praise you for what you are doing.” And I praise you now for whatever you will do, Lord, for you know what is best.
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